Wheeled support for boats



K. O. ENGNELL WHEELED SUPPORT FOR BOATS Dec. 27, 1960 2 SheetsSheet 1 Filed June 1. 1959 INVENTOR. MW: 0. 51/04/544 BY madam Arne/var Dec. 27, 1960 K. o. ENGNELL 2,966,368

WHEELED SUPPORT FOR BOATS Filed June 1. 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN V EN TOR. AWWE 0. [Mm/44 ITOZA/EY United States Patent WH EELED SUPPORT FOR BOATS time o. Engnell, 1'25 ni h st, Port Washington, Wis. Filed June 1, 1959, Ser. No. 817,114

2 Claims. (Cl. 280-179) This invention relates to wheeled supports for boats, and it particularly relates to supports of the aforesaid type which are used for moving small boats from a transporting means such as an automobile to the water.

Various types of wheeled supports have heretofore been used for the above purpose; however, these prior supports were all relatively complex in structure and required much manipulation in order to attach them to the boat before hauling and then to remove them after the boat was in the water. This required not only a rather large amount of strength to manipulate the boat and the attachment but also a certain amount of skill. Consequently, much time and effort was expended before the boat could even be used, as well as after it had been used.

It is one object of the present invention to overcome the aforesaid difficulties by providing a wheeled support for boats which is relatively simple in construction and easy to use.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a wheeled support for boats which is easily attached to the boat on land and which is easily detached from the boat when in the water.

Other objects of the present invention are to provide an improved wheeled support for boats, of the character described, that is easily and economically produced, which is sturdy in construction, and which is highly efficient in operation.

With the above and related objects in view, this invention consists in the details of construction and combination of parts, as will be more fully understood from the following description, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a device embodying the present invention, the device being shown in position to support a boat.

Fig. 2 is an end elevational view of the device, taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a top view, partly in plan and partly in section, taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Referring in greater detail to the drawings, wherein similar reference characters refer to similar parts, there is shown a supporting device generally designated 10, comprising a bracket 12 having bearings 14 supporting a shaft or axle 16 on the ends of which are mounted wheels 18.

Adjacent each end of bracket 12 is positioned an auxiliary support bar 20; each of these bars 20 having an inwardly inclined upper end 22 and a vertical slot 24 at the lower portion. The slot 24 in each bar 20 is adapted to receive a bolt or bolts 26 extending laterally from the bracket 12. These bolts 26 are provided with wing nuts 28 for releasably clamping the bars 20 in vertically adjusted position; the vertical adjustment being limited by the length of the slot 24.

Inwardly of the bars 20, the bracket 12 is provided with two oppositely-disposed pairs of pivoted arms 30; each pair of arms 30 being pivotally connected to the bracket 12 by a common bolt 32 held in place by a wing nut 34. Each arm 30 is provided with a plurality of holes 36 to selectively receive the bolt 32 for longitudinal adjustment of the respective arm 30.

Each pair of arms 30 is connected to a respective clamping bar 38; the bars 38 extending transversely to the bracket 12 and each arm 30 of each pair being connected to a beveled lower rear corner 40 of the respective bar 38 by means of rivets or screws 42 or the like extending into the beveled corner 40 through a lateral flange 44 on each arm 30. Each clamping bar 38 is also slightly beveled at its upper, inner corner, as at 46.

Connected to the top of the bracket 12 are two spring fingers 48; each spring finger 48 being connected at its outer end to the bracket 12, as by means of rivets, screws or the like 50, and extending inwardly along the length of the bracket 12 toward each other. The inner end of each spring finger 48 is downwardly bent, as at 52, and underlies a respective clamping bar 38 (as best shown in Fig. 2); resiliently biasing the bars 38 upwardly.

In operation, when the supporting device 10 is to be used to haul the boat from the automobile to the water, the boat, indicated 54, is lowered onto the support 10 until the keel 56 of the boat passes between the clamping bars 38 (as best shown in Fig. 2). The full weight of the boat 54 is then permitted to rest on the clamping bars 38 against the upward pressure of spring fingers 48. The downward pressure of the boat 54 causes the arms 30 to pivot inwardly thereby causing the bars 38 to firmly clamp the keel 56.

In the above-described condition, the boat 54 is hauled to the water while firmly supported by the support 10. The boat is then wheeled into the water until it begins to float. At this point, the water lifts the boat 54 up from the support 10 thereby releasing the keel 56 from its clamped position between bars 38. The boat then floats free and the support 10 is removed. When it is desired to haul the boat out of the water and back to the automobile, the reverse action takes place, whereby the boat is pulled far enough out of the water to let its weight rest fully on the bars 38 of the support 10 which is slipped thereunder. The boat is then hauled back to the automobile and lifted out of the support 10.

The auxiliary support bars 20 are not used to normally support the boat, which normally rests only on bars 38, but are used to keep the boat from swaying when it is being pulled over rough or broken ground. For this purpose the bars 20 are vertically adjusted according to the size and shape of the boat; as are also the arms 30.

Although this invention has been described in considerable detail, such description is intended as being illustrative rather than limiting, since the invention may be variously embodied, and the scope of the invention is to be determined as claimed.

Having thus set forth and disclosed the nature of this invention, what is claimed is:

1. A supporting device for boats comprising an elongated bracket, a shaft extending longitudinally of said bracket and having Wheels mounted thereon outwardly of each end of said bracket, an auxiliary support bar positioned at each end of said bracket inwardly of said wheels, two pairs of oppositely-disposed arms pivotally connected to said bracket inwardly of said auxiliary support bars, each pair of arms extending inwardly, a transverse boat keel clamping bar mounted on the inner ends of each pair of arms, a pair of springs connected to said bracket, each spring underlying a respective clamping bar and urging said clamping bar away from said bracket and from each other, and pivot means for said arms extending through said bracket and said pairs of arms, said arms having a plurality of spaced apart pivot means receiving apertures therethrough for longitudinally adjusting said arms on said pivot means.

2. The supporting device of claim 1, and means for longitudinally adjustably supporting said auxiliary support bars on said bracket comprising wing'nut and bolt means secured in said bracket and extending through longitudinally extending slots in said auxiliary support bars.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Muller Oct. 12, 1943 Halverson Oct. II, 1955 Holsclaw Apr. 2, 1957 Gronlund Apr. 9, 1957 Facchini Dec. 17, 1957 McIntyre et al. Apr. 19, 1960 FOREIGN PATENTS Germany Sept. 29, 1920 

